Mortality Among Workers Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in an Electrical Capacitor Manufacturing Plant in Indiana: An Update

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davis-King K ; Hein, Misty J. ; Laber P ; Nilsen N ; Prince, Mary M. ; Ruder, Avima M. ; Waters MA ; Whelan, Elizabeth A.
• Description:
  An Indiana capacitor-manufacturing cohort (n=3,569) was exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) 1957-1977. The original study of mortality through 1984 found excess melanoma and brain cancer; other studies of PCB-exposed individuals have found excess non-Hodgkins lymphoma, rectal cancer and liver, biliary tract, and gall bladder cancer. Mortality was updated through 1998. Analyses included standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using Indiana (shown below) and U. S. rates, standardized rate ratios (SRR) and Poisson regression rate ratios (RR). Estimated cumulative exposure calculations used a new jobexposure matrix. Mortality overall was reduced (547 deaths, SMR 0.81, CI 0.7-0.9). Non- Hodgkins lymphoma mortality was elevated (9 deaths, SMR 1.23, CI 0.6-2.3). Melanoma remained in excess (9 deaths, SMR 2.43, CI 1.1-4.6), especially in the lowest tertile of estimated cumulative exposure (5 deaths, SMR 3.72, CI 1.2-8.7). Seven of the 12 brain cancer deaths (SMR 1.91, CI 1.0-3.3) occurred after the original study. Brain cancer mortality increased with exposure (in the highest tertile, 5 deaths, SMR 2.71, CI 0.9-6.3); the SRR dose-response trend was significant (p=0.016). Among those working > 90 days, both melanoma (8 deaths, SMR 2.66, CI 1.1-5.2) and brain cancer (11 deaths, SMR 2.12, CI 1.1-3.8) were elevated, especially for women: 3 deaths (SMR 5.99, CI 1.2-17.5) and 3 deaths (SMR 2.87, CI 0.6-8.4), respectively. These findings of excess melanoma and brain cancer mortality confirm the original study. Melanoma mortality was not associated with estimated cumulative exposure. Brain cancer mortality did not demonstrate a clear dose-response relationship with estimated cumulative exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biphenyl Compounds Environmental Monitoring Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Polychlorinated Biphenyls Safety
• Keywords:
  Biphenyls Cancer Exposure-assessment Mortality-data Mortality-rates Occupational-exposure Polychlorinated-biphenyls Worker-health Workers
• ISSN:
  0091-6765
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  18-23
• Volume:
  114
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20028955
• Citation:
  Environ Health Perspect 2006 Jan; 114(1):18-23
• Contact Point Address:
  Avima Ruder, Ph.D., National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mailstop R-16, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  amr2@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health Perspectives
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:21e74452c315b97c55165e030a3750c352d74411cfd9207f5ad04471636bc7c4984026d3694818bf5d8af574592ca1d3ee294151862683c28b66082236c07ece
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/190041/cdc_190041_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 130.59 KB ]